Thought I better add some more info. This is CS5.1 and ACR v6.6 on Windows Vista 64 bit. I still have CS4 still installed, and the problem does not happen with it in ACR v5.7. It happens in both the 32bit and 64bit versions of photoshop, and I launch ACR though their respective Bridge versions...in "filmstrip" mode > right clicking thumbnails (1-50 images) and selecting "Open in Camera RAW".

Still unclear (at least to me) what operation you're describing. Are you talking about the initial opening of a raw file from Bridge into Camera Raw, or are you referring to a "Save As" operation from within ACR?

In any event it souds like a Windows permission issue, i.e. whatever directory is the target does not have sufficent permissions for the operation. If you can determine the target directory go to it and add Everyone with full permissions (and let it percolate downward to all sub-directories and files).

Richard, Thank you for taking the time to reply. The communication problem was mine. See, I first did a search, and found that when some people save files within ACR to a "new location" - instead of saving to the same folder which contained the raw files...a "The file could not be created" error message was generated PLUS...this has been going on since CS2 for some people. I found at least three posts concerning permissions, and it didn't solve the problem for anyone. BTW...my permissions are set to full control for everyone.I guess I just picked up the conversation from multiple posts, and ended up sounding archaic, and incomplete.

The only people who have solved this issue either updated to a newer version of ACR, or rolled back to an earlier version. This error is being generated in the newest versions of ACR, and I would rather not roll back to an older version. I was just hoping someone over the last 5 years had figured out what the conflict was caused by, but apparently it is rare enough that little has been done. Lucky me, it is effecting my two primary imaging machines. Both of which share the same OS, and similiar generations of CPUs, and similiar nvidia graphics cards....My work around is to save in the original folder, and then move the resulting files...which isn't elegant.

Ok, I assume you're doing a "Save As" out of ACR to some other format (jpg, dng, etc.). Running Windows 7 64 bit, I brought in a raw file to ACR 6.7 and saved it out successfully as a jpg to the Desktop folder. I then tried to save it to the System32 folder, and received a write permissions error msg.

I suspect Windows 7 is a little more graceful about this problem than Vista, in that it gives a more useful msg. But it is the same problem, when you trying to save to some other location you have to make sure the permissions at the new location are such that they allow write access. I suggest you check the security tab on the destination location and verify it includes suitable permissions. If you don't understand this process then I suggest you get help from somebody who does understand Windows permission issues.

Richard, I must not express myself clearly. The error is being generated by ACR - not the operating system. The persmissions are already set to what you suggested, and they always have been. Lastly, I would be intested in ACR v6.7 that you have, but Adobe has not released anything past v6.6 on their download page. (v6.6. just came out December 12th 2011). If you have a link to a newer version, or a beta...please share it.

Typo, I am using ACR 6.6. My error msg was also generated by ACR (see attached). And I expected the error for the System32 folder. However if you are logged in as a user with normal privileges I would not expect an error when writing to your own desktop, but I am not well versed in Vista.

I'm beginning to think it may be something other than a permissions problem, given the difference between our two error msgs. How about disk space, are you writing to the same hard drive as the raw file or different? Also how much memory does the system contain and how much is allocated to Photoshop?

Time to experiment, create a sub-directory in the same location as your raw file and see if you can save to it. Then create a sub-directory under the same directory as your raw file sub-directory and try. In other words, work on narrowing down if/where the problem occurs. Also check ACR preferences, clear its cache and perhaps add more disk space to the cache.

I believe you stated you could always save the file if you didn't change location, have you always checked to see if you could continue to do so after a failure to a new location?

Don't fall into the trap believing that it's an ACR bug, obviously ACR works ok for most of us, more likely to be some sort of combination problem between your system and ACR/Bridge/Photoshop.

Richard, Both systems have 6gb of ram, and I usually allocate 60-65% of available ram to Photoshop. Which works out to about 2.4-3.2 gb ram depending on whether it is the 32 bit or 64 bit version of photoshop. One drive is 720gb (two 360gb drives in 0 raid array) with 170gb free, the other is a 1tb external with 100gb free.

I always create sub directories as a normal part of my workflow. The root folder is descriptive - For example...

Snow storm 01-13-12 (with nested folder of....)

>jpg

>raw

>keepers

>imaged

I always cull raw images and place the best in the "keepers" folder. Then I image the raw file keepers to jpg and save to the "imaged" folder.

I have tried saving in many different locations...root of a drive, one folder deep, and deeper. I also have tried many other drives. It is always the same error when I change the location of the to be saved file. (I have tried other formats as well...tif, dng, etc)

OK...tried clearing the cache, and upping the amount of disk space from 1gb to 2gb. Single image saves seem to work now if a "new location" is selected. However, I rarely use ACR this way. I usually select 30-50 images to open in ACR at once...and then save to a new location after I have made adjustments. I did notice something odd. When the save options dialog first opens after a successful save to new location...it shows that previous location. Now, when I select a new location...the path is left blank? In CS4/ACR v5.7 this area always instantly refreshes to the new path. See photos..

.

I am not blaming anyone, or any one program. I assumed there is a conflict somewhere, and I just want to solve it.

And yes, if I save to the original location..there is no error msg...And I still get the error msg if I am saving more than one image at a time...

It makes no difference. Single click folder, and click select...yields an error. Double click folder, and click select yields the same error. Interestingly, the path for the save is completely blank - which may be why ACR can not "create" the file, because that information is not being passed onto ACR. Weird as this may seem - this is a huge deal to me, because i image thousands of images per week through ACR...it is very disruptive to my workflow! I thought maybe I was clicking too fast...so I waited 20-30 seconds between clicks to see if the path would fill in...like it does instantly with CS4 - ACR v5.7...but no...in CS5 - ACR v6.6 the path never completes - like the last photos I upped show.

I can't replicate the problem on my Win7-64 system. Images save to the desktop fine.

Judging by the sound of it, you have a problem with the path selection. There's possibly a problem with Windows performance causing the failure, which could be due to a number of things. I don't know how experienced you are with Windows troubleshooting, but it might be worth tackling your system from basics, and looking at things like networking and external drives, drivers, anti-virus and interference from non-essential background services, although why this should affect V6 and not V5 I have no idea.

It does not make any difference R_Kelly...the error occurs either way. I decided to try and roll back to ACR v6.5. Whoa...Adobe sure has changed things. Instead of looking for a single plugin file (Camera Raw.8bi) - there are dozens of files that got written to my hard drive...who knows where. Plus, it looks like dozens of registry entries. When I try and use the ACR v6.5 installer I get "Error Code: U44M2P7". I tried both as a users with administrative rights, ahd as administrator....neither worked. I really don't have time to mess with this...un-installing CS5 and reinstalling with an older version of ACR..not allowing ACR to update....etc. So, I guess I will use CS4 and ACR v5.7 for now - which I'll admit makes me mad that I paid for the upgrade, only to have it break vital functions.

You need only replace copies of Camera Raw.8bi. Everything else should be fine. Unfortuately, the 8bi file is renamed in the update package. If you search the forum you should find instructions for rollback to 6.5. This seems to be happening a lot this time, though I can't remember seeing an official acknowledgement that 6.6 is in any way broken.

Thank you R_Kelly! I'd like to call this the "correct answer", but we all know that Adobe has some fixing to do in order to get the actual "correct answer". BUT, I will say that ACR seems to be working splendidly. In fact, it seems much more responsive, and the dialogs snap open instantly...and refresh instantly too. I really, really like that! THANKS! R_Kelly!

Glad to have found this thread. I too am having the dreaded problem - again! This time, after updating to 6..6, the problem took a few days to begin. In the past, it has started immediately after the update.

As the original poster wrote, this problem has been around for years. But, to the best of my knowledge, it has only ever occurred with Vista x64 and not with any other Windows OS.

It is a great pity that Adobe haven't addressed this once and for all since, in my opinion, ACR wins hands down over LR if you are looking for a pure processor of RAW files.

Lightroom is, at best, prosumer as a RAW processing tool. And, with ACR fast becoming the less favoured child, is it any wonder so many pros are switching to, for example, Capture One? If LR was exactly the same as ACR in terms of its editing features, I'd love it. But, it isn't.

1. No Colour Sampler Tool. I shoot a lot of interiors and a lot of fine art. I use the CST on Gretag Colour Charts that appear in my images. I also use it in conjunction with the Graduated Filter on interiors to balance light levels. Fantastic!

2. Melissa RGB - process your files in one "space" and then save them to another? Gimme a break! As for % readouts. Yes, you can go off and find the RGB/0-255 equivalents, but should you have to? This is nothing but change for change sake. At least allow the user to switch between % and 0-255. That would be fanstatic! But, Melissa RGB HAS to go. Readouts in Adobe 98 - the conversion space, please.

Even a simple thing like the White Balance Tool performs stupidly in LR. Use it and it deactivates immediately. You have to re-select it for every white balance selection. In ACR, as it should, the tool remains active until you select another tool.

Looked on purely as a RAW processing tool, Lightroom, in my opinion, "barks and wears a lead" as we say around here. ACR is the Real McCoy. Yes, LR has an end to end workflow that Bridge/ACR does not have. But, that's not my point. The most important bit is the processing engine, and ACR is better.

Rant over........

Apologies for using the thread as a platform for a rant, but I seriously feel that ACR is getting a raw deal (pun intended!) and Adobe are playing with fire.

The failure to deal with "The file could not be created" problem over a period of "years" typifies this.

Something VERY BASIC to try for those Windows users experiencing this problem, and find it reproducible:

Try running your software As Administrator. If that clears the problem then it's a permissions issue. It might not be directly related to the folder you're saving in, but something, somewhere isn't granting you in your non-privileged UAC persona the permissions to do what you want.

Noel, It did not fix it. I saved a single image to a new folder (root of drive C:/) and it worked. Next I tried to save 29 files to another folder - it caused a series of "can not create...."errors. My work around was to install acr v6.2 in cs5.1 32 bit. The dialog for the "new location" path refreshes instantly when choosing a new location in acr v6.2 - whereas it is permanently left blank in acr v6.6. I left acr v6.6 in cs5.1 64 bit, but I just save to the same location that contains the original raw files, and manually move them after the save.

Another follow up, since there is a release canidate/beta of acr. Using ACR v6.7 beta/RC-1 (it claims both - so I am not sure which it is - Web page calls it RC-1, but install calls it a beta.) Behaves the same as version 6.6. The new folder field is left complete blank, and the same exact error message is generated. Here are two screen captures. Is anyone working on a fix?

An experiment - find in Windows Explorer the Photoshop.exe file that corresponds to your version. Right click on the file and choose "Run as Administrator", click on Yes in the User Account Control dialog. Within Photoshop, select a raw file and open. Now see if you can save to any location directly from ACR.

Richard, I guess you missed Noel asking me to do the very same thing. However, I tried yet again. This time I ran both Photoshop, and Bridge as adiministrator. It changed nothing. I still get the same empty path field for the new location, and the exact same error message. I imagine that permissions, and using administrative rights have solved other photoshop problems, but I am mystified why - after all these years, and multiple versions of photoshop - where this supposed fix for the ACR error has never ever worked for anyone....why do people keep offering this as a possible solution?

Dad2seven, I feel you have permissions problems on your system. It works just fine for others - e.g., I am able to do just the same things you're showing on Windows 7 x64, no problem:

Even if running As Administrator doesn't fix it on your system, improperly set up permissios could be causing your application not to be able to write into the folder(s) you are attempting to use on your hard drive.

It might be that you have to take ownership of the folders you'd like to use, then grant yourself Full Control permissions. Was the disk initially formatted on another system, or under a different installation of the operating system you're running?

Try creating a new folder, e.g., C:\TEMP, then right-clicking TEMP and granting your username Full Control permissions. Then attempt to save photos into that folder.

Noel, I may come off frustrated (I am), but I do appreciate Richard and you at least responding. These two machines are the only two I haven't built myself in the last 15+ years. Box#1 is a Dell Insiprion 530 dual core intel, 2.8 ghz, box#2 is a HP 9300 quad core 2.66 ghz...both are from the same generation of machines (about 3.5 years old). Both have 6gb of ram, windows vista 64 bit OS "home premium", and service pack 2 installed. The drive the photos are stored on, and to which I am attempting to save them - are extneral drives which have permissions set to full control for everyone - from the root of the drive to as deeply nested a folder you can possibly imagine. I am the only "user" of both machines, and I have administrator privledges. I'd like to suggest some critical thinking be applied here.

1-In CSv4 (which is still installed) ACR NEVER generated this error, or any other error...in all versions through version v5.7 of ACR

2-When I installed CSv5 >version 5.1 update, and the ACR update to v6.6 I DID have ACR errors generated

No changes to the OS were done, only the upgrade to version CSv5.1 and ACR v6.6 were added to both machines. Photoshop CSv4 and it's proprietory ACR version continue to work properly. Since the ONLY changes to both machines are a newer version of Photoshop/Bridge/&ACR - It is a certainity that the problem lies with a conflict between the new CSv5.1 software, and the OS. I have read on these forums all the way back to CSv2 and many earlier versions of ACR about similar errors, with the similar response concerning persmissions. I have not encountered a single post where changing persmissions fixed ACR errors for a single person. If I remember correctly...the earlist date I saw was 2005...so this has been going on for 6+ years. I did take note that rolling back to earlier versions, and newer versions of ACR did fix this problem for a handful of people. I will stop posting before I am driven to ranting like Dinarius did above, but you should note that telling someone repeatedly to change their level of permissions to administartor - when they have repeatedly conveyed that they already have, and that they had always been in that state - is very irritating.

I will re-state what did work for me, but it is not a fix. I rolled back to ACR v6.2 - which has a different interface for navigating to the "new folder". It's obvious the problem lies with this new naviagtion panel in acr v6.6, because the display does not update, and it leaves the path blank. Whether it is ACR's coding that is at fault or the OS - I neither know nor care. Can either of you escalate this thread to someone in the department that writes this code to have a look see, please!

The drive the photos are stored on, and to which I am attempting to save them - are extneral drives which have permissions set to full control for everyone - from the root of the drive to as deeply nested a folder you can possibly imagine. I am the only "user" of both machines, and I have administrator privledges.

Just how deeply? You do realize that there is a hard character limit in the whole path length when it comes to saving out files. I can't recall exactly what that is, I'm not a Windows user. But there are similar problems when doing a Batch precess from Photoshop and doing droplets (saved batch operations). The fact that you call out the fact that you have such a deeply nested hierarchy may be a clue. And yes, older software may not hit that problem while more recent may be respecting the limit.

As you can tell we're all pretty much out of bullets. I would suggest one more experiment - create a new folder anywhere, desktop is as good as anyplace else. Right click on it, choose properties, and then security. Add a user, Everyone, and give it full control. Shouldn't make any difference, but you can also delete all of the other users, although you'll have to unlink the parenting.

I've "solved" similar problems by adding the Everyone user with full control, not sure why you should have to. You might prowl around in the group policies, see if one is set that could apply. Run gpedit.msc from the Run line, look primarily at User Configuration > Administrative Templates. Somewhere your system acquired a rogue setting, or perhaps it's a bug in Vista, there aren't too many users running Vista anymore, particularly with newer software.